Vapor Dispensing Method and Apparatus

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for vapor dispensing apparatus is described. The vapor dispensing apparatus includes: a housing defining a chamber having an inner contact surface, wherein the housing further comprises an aperture providing fluid communication between the chamber and an external environment; an evaporable material receptacle movably disposed within the chamber such that a dispensing portion of the receptacle is disposed in contact with at least a portion of the surface; and a motor coupled to the apparatus, configured to move the receptacle.

1. CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Non-Provisionalapplication Ser. No. 15/108,490, filed Jun. 27, 2016, which was a U.S.National Stage Application of International Application No.PCT/US14/70440, filed Dec. 16, 2014, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/921,192, filed Dec. 27, 2013, each ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

2. FIELD OF INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention generally relate to a vapor delivery deviceand associated methods and more particularly to a vapor delivery devicewhich dispenses a vapor through diffusion.

3. BACKGROUND

There are different types of liquids—such as aroma therapy solutions andperfumes as well as mosquito repellant liquids, and solids such as waxesand soft plastics that benefit from being vaporized to achieve theirdesired or intended function and results (e.g., olfactory; repellant,etc.). Methods and apparatus to deliver liquids (and/or solids) throughvaporization exist in many forms. These include, but are not limited to,thermal vaporization, compressed gas vaporization, and ultrasonicatomization of liquids.

In the process of thermal vaporization, the liquid is heated to itsvaporization temperature. In the case of heat vaporization, the energyrequired to heat liquids can be substantial and battery poweredoperation is sometimes not feasible. Furthermore, for multiliquidmixtures such as mixtures of solvents and concentrate perfumes, eachcomponent volatilizes at different rates due to different vaporpressures that depend on the chemical constitution of the liquid. Thisleads to different smells being generated over time compared to theintended olfactory response. Additionally, sometimes the temperaturerequired for thermal vaporization is very high, unsuitable for portableand low-power applications.

In ultrasonic atomization, a liquid is vibrated at sufficiently highvelocities and frequencies to cause the liquid to be broken up intodroplets due to capillary waves that become sufficiently large. In theultrasonic method, the liquid needs to be delivered to a high velocitysurface requiring high frequency actuators that require specialelectronics and high degree of control for optimal control. Thetechnique does not work well for high viscosity liquids such as oils,requiring excessive power for vaporization and atomization.

In the case of compressed gas atomization, the liquid is vaporized withthe flow of compressed gas stored together with the liquid perfume. Thehigh velocity of the carrier gas with ejected liquid can cause theliquid to be broken up into droplets that eventually vaporize into air.With high compressed gas flow, the high flow rate generally leads to ahigh audio output that is heard by people around the activated area,drawing attention to the act of spraying. The high velocity of theexiting fluids also can cause the liquid to impact a surface at somedistance from the sprayer. Most importantly, the delivery methodrequires the formation of aerosols that consist of unhealthy chemicalssuch as benzene, and higher molecular mass organic compounds that can beallergens.

Another form of liquid delivery is accomplished with a ‘roll-on’ bottle,in which the liquid is applied to the surface of a roller ball coupledto the bottle from within the bottle. As the ball is rolled andcontacted with a surface, the liquid is deposited on the surface andabsorbed in some cases. Due to the increased surface area, the liquidcan vaporize or evaporate at a higher rate compared to when it is insidethe bottle. Furthermore, the surface can be at a higher temperature toincrease the evaporation rate. Small aplicator 102 s are used forperfume by applying the roll-on to skin. The higher skin temperaturecompared to the ambient temperature volatilizes the perfume so that thevapors can reach the olfactory system. The roll-on technique of liquiddelivery conventionally requires manual application as well as storage—aperson has to actually apply the roll-on by themselves. The roll-ontechnique has been used for a long period of time and is wellestablished as a way to deliver thick oils and liquids that are verynatural without any chemical additives. However, a disadvantage of theroll-on technique is the requirement of manual application. Furthermore,in most applications, the vapor-generated flow cannot be controlled asit is applied to open surfaces.

In view of the foregoing, solution to this and other problems in the artis provided by an automated dispenser and associated method fordispensing a liquid on a contact surface formed within a chamber, therewould be benefits outlined below from automating the process andapparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure is directed to inventive methods and apparatusfor vapor dispensing. Various embodiments and implementations herein aredirected to a vapor dispensing method and apparatus in which anapplicator containing a fragrant liquid is pressed against a contactsurface within a container to dispense the fragrant liquid. Using thevarious embodiments and implementations herein, vapor may be dispensedin a controlled fashion with low power, and without using aerosolizedcompounds. In one exemplary aspect, a vapor dispensing apparatus,includes: a housing defining a chamber having an inner contact surface,wherein the housing further comprises an aperture providing fluidcommunication between the chamber and an external environment; anevaporable material receptacle movably disposed within the chamber suchthat a dispensing portion of the receptacle is disposed in contact withat least a portion of the surface; and a motor coupled to the apparatus,configured to move the receptacle.

According to an embodiment, the receptacle further comprises a sphericalmovable dispensing surface at one end.

According to an embodiment, the liquid is fragrant.

According to another embodiment, an actuator is positioned to draw airthrough the aperture.

According to another embodiment, a covering is movably disposed withinthe chamber to cover and seal the aperture.

According to another embodiment, the motor is configured to move thecovering.

According to another embodiment, the motor is coupled to the cover by anarm.

According to another embodiment, arm is spring-loaded.

According to another embodiment, a gas sensor is positioned to sense thepresence of a vapor within the chamber.

According to another embodiment, a resistive heater positioned to heatat least a portion of the inner contact surface.

According to another embodiment, the motor is actuated by amicrocontroller.

According to another embodiment, the microcontroller is configured toactuate the motor at a predetermined time.

According to another embodiment, the motor is actuated by a remotecontrol.

According to another embodiment, the inner contact surface is coveredwith a rough material.

According to another embodiment, the chamber is cylindrical.

According to another embodiment, the motor moves the receptacle byrotating it.

According to another embodiment, the housing is partially formed by abottom member, and the motor rotates the receptacle in an arc parallelto the bottom member.

According to another embodiment, the housing is partially formed by abottom member, and the motor rotates the receptacle in an arc oblique tothe bottom member.

According to another embodiment, the receptacle is mounted to a shaftcomprising a universal joint, configured such that the receptacle isrotated in an arc not parallel to the ground.

An embodiment of the invention is a method for dispensing a vapor. In anexemplary aspect, the method includes the steps of: providing asubstance in at least one of liquid and a solid form in a receptacledisposed in a housing defining a chamber having an internal contactsurface; and moving a dispensing portion of the receptacle over aninternal contact surface so as to dispense at least a portion of thesubstance on at least a portion of internal contact surface; andallowing a vapor of the dispensed portion of the substance to escape thehousing.

According to an embodiment, the method further comprises the steps of:providing a movably disposed covering within the housing; moving thecovering to seal the housing.

According to an embodiment, the method further comprises the step ofheating the internal contact surface.

According to another embodiment, the step of moving the receptacle isaccomplished by rotating the receptacle in arc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the sameparts throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed uponillustrating the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1. shows an exploded view of a vapor dispensing apparatus accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2. shows a schematic view of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3. shows an exploded view of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4. shows a schematic view of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5. shows a schematic view of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows a top view schematic representation of a bottle of analternative embodiment of the vapor dispensing apparatus.

FIG. 7A shows a top view schematic representation of a cap of thealternative embodiment of the vapor dispensing apparatus.

FIG. 7B shows the cap of FIG. 7A with a ball near or at a thin spoutorifice.

FIG. 8A shows a top view schematic representation of the cap attached tothe bottle.

FIG. 8B shows the cap of FIG. 8A with a ball therein near or at the thinspout orifice.

FIG. 9 shows a spring maintaining the ball in position within the cap.

FIG. 10 shows the cap of FIG. 9 attached to the bottle.

FIG. 11 shows a magnetic actuator extending around the bottle and cap inFIG. 10.

FIG. 12 shows the magnetic forces acting on the ball and spring withinthe cap.

FIG. 13 shows a sponge retainer with a sponge attached to the cap.

FIG. 14 shows the cap of FIG. 13 and bottle within the magneticactuator.

FIG. 15 shows a top view schematic representation of the vapordispensing apparatus, according to an alternative embodiment.

FIG. 16 shows a top view schematic representation of the cap of thevapor dispensing apparatus, according to an alternative embodiment.

FIG. 17 shows another top view schematic representation of the cap ofthe vapor dispensing apparatus, according to an alternative embodiment.

FIG. 18 shows yet another top view schematic representation of the capof the vapor dispensing apparatus, according to an alternativeembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF NON-LIMITING EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Non-limiting embodiments of the invention are directed to apparatus andmethods for controllably delivering a vapor by controlling the deliveryof a liquid or a solid precursor (hereinafter referred to as a ‘liquid)to a surface and utilizing at least one of temperature, valving, and airflow to deliver the vapor to a user of the apparatus.

Referring now to the figures, wherein like reference numerals refer tolike parts throughout, there is shown in FIG. 1, shows a vapordispensing apparatus 100. In a general non-limiting embodiment, anapplicator 102 object held in the center of a chamber 104, defined by ahousing 106, and moved over an internal contact surface 108 of thechamber 104 by a motor 110 or, manually by operation of a mechanicalmechanism. The applicator 102 may be mounted to the motor 110 by a clamp112. An actuator that can cause air to circulate through the cavity willpump the vaporized material to be carried outside of the container. Anexample of such an actuator is a fan 114, as shown in FIG. 1, to blowair throughout the package. In an exemplary embodiment, air will becarried out through an orifice 116. Furthermore, the housing may have aremovable cap 117 to contain fumes, and also to provide easy access tothe housing internals. Cap 117 may contain a second orifice 115 to ventliquid vapor, or may be completely sealed (see FIG. 3). Finally, housing116 may further comprise a bottom member 119 to seal the bottom of thebottom of the container.

The applicator 102 can be a roll-on bottle. In this embodiment, theroll-on bottle may dispense liquid when pressure is applied to theroller-ball or, alternatively, it may stop dispensing when pressure isapplied to the roller-ball. The applicator 102 can also be abottle-shaped solid, such as a perfumed wax packaged in a plasticcontainer, or even a crayon shaped device, or a pencil, or a fountainpen. In the preferred embodiment, the applicator 102 is easilyremovable, such that a user could replace or refill the applicator 102.

The applicator 102 may also have a spring to press the applicator 102towards the contact surface 108. The applicator 102 may also have aninterior wall that is spring-loaded or is mounted to a threaded rod suchthat turning the rod advances the wall toward the liquid. This may beuseful when using solid sources such as wax sticks that will be need tobe advanced towards the contact surface 108 as the solid is transferredshortening the stick.

In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the surface 108 onto which thematerial is applied is circular with its radius varying as a function oftheta. The varying radius versus theta would provide a variable contactarea between the rotating applicator 102 and the contact surface 108. Ifthe gap is greater than zero then the material will not be transferredto the contact surface 108. When the gap between the applicator 102 andcontact surface is zero, the material will be transferred to the contactsurface 108. Even in this condition, the force with which the applicator102 presses onto the contact surface 108 may determine the amount ofmaterial transferred to the surface 108. For example in the case of aroller-ball bottle, higher force may result in increased liquid outputfrom the bottle depending on the roller-ball design. In alternativeembodiments, perfectly circular, or flat or substantially flat. In thisembodiment, the applicator 102 may be in constant contact with thesurface during use, or may be manually or mechanically retracted fromthe surface 108.

Furthermore, in the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the applicator 102is moved over the surface 108 by rotating the applicator 102. In thisembodiment, the contact surface 108 is preferably circular. In analternative embodiment, the applicator 102 may be drawn over a track, orplaced on the end of a rod to be swung in an arc. In these embodiments,the contact surface 108 may preferably be planar or substantiallyplanar.

The contact surface 108 can be mechanically flexible such that thecontact force between the applicator 102 and the contact surface 108 canlead to bending of the contact surface. The contact surface 108 can alsohave areas with holes (lack of contact surface 108 material) such thatif the applicator 102 is positioned in these locations, there can be nomaterial transfer. This can be the park position of the contact surface108. Alternatively, in the embodiment with a roller-ball which ceases todispense liquid upon the application of pressure on the roller-ball, theapplicator 102 may be parked in a position against the contact surface108, such that the pressure prevents the dispensation of any liquid.

The contact surface 108 can be heated to volatilize the liquid. In oneembodiment, this heating can be accomplished by attached resistiveheaters on the contact surface 108.

In addition, another, or the same, motor that moves the applicator 102in the housing 106 can be used to open and close an orifice 116-1 to thehousing 106. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, one or several arms 118may be moved to cover the orifice(s) 116-1. These arms may bespring-loaded to maintain contact the orifice 116-1 or walls, no matterwhat position the motor is in. The arms 118 may have covers 120 affixedto their ends to expand the surface area they cover. These covers may bemade of felt or some other material with a low friction coefficient tofacilitate the motion of the arms.

In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the applicator 102 is rotated inan arc parallel to the surface of the earth. In an alternativeembodiment, the applicator 102 may be rotated in an arc perpendicular tothe bottom 119 of the apparatus. This may be achieved by positioning themotor 110 on the wall of the applicator 102, or, alternatively, byrotating the entire apparatus on its side, as shown in FIG. 4. In yet analternate embodiment, the motor 110 or the applicator 102 may be fixedat an acute angle relative to the bottom 119 of the apparatus. This willcause the applicator 102 to sweep in an arc oblique to the surface ofthe earth. In yet an another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, theapplicator 102 may be affixed to a shaft 122 comprising a series ofuniversal joints, arranged in a configuration such that the rotation ofthe shaft will cause the applicator 102 to rotate through an arc that isnot parallel to the ground.

The motor system 110 can be activated by a microcontroller powered by abattery or a powered cable, or can be actuated manually by a spring- orother mechanical mechanism. The fan can also be controlled by the samemicrocontroller or be actuated manually. Furthermore, the apparatus maycontain a resistive gas sensor, to detect the presence or concentrationof the vapor. According to one embodiment, the microcontroller measuresthe current passing through the resistor to measure the concentration ofthe vapor in the apparatus. If the vapor is above or below a certainthreshold the microcontroller may be programmed to either actuate, orcease actuating, the motor 110. In this way, the microcontroller mayactively monitor the vapor concentration in the apparatus and adjust thevapor output accordingly. Because the sensor may be become coated in theliquid and cease to function properly, it may be desirable tooccasionally heat the resistor to evaporate and liquid coating presenton the sensor.

More than one of the boxes, consisting of an applicator 102 and acontact surface 108, can be connected to each other in a modular way toenable more than one liquid to be vaporized at a given time inproportion to each other depending on the amount of material spread onthe internal contact surface 108 of the package. Such an array ofdevices could share one fan, or have individual fans.

A diagram of a non-limiting, illustrative embodiment of the invention isshown in FIG. 1. The liquid-containing applicator 102, in this case anapplicator 102 can easily be removed/exchanged by a user as the liquidis dispensed onto the internal contact surface 108 by providing a clampor other holding component within a applicator 104 of the package. Theapplicator 102 is positioned therein and rotated such that it moves overthe internal contact surface 108. The temperature of the internalcontact surface 108 can be controlled by internal heaters or coolersusing peltier or resistive devices, for example. The internal contactsurface 108 can be a cloth surface or other material surface withincreased surface area for maximal absorption. The assembly with thesurface 108 and the actuator and the bottle can be sealed in the chamberwith a single or multiple orifices 116-1 that enable the vapor to bereleased from the chamber. The orifice 116-1 can be opened or closed bya separate motor, or by the same motor 110 using the applicator 102 as avalve to open or close the chamber. The bottle could be used to open andshut an orifice 116-1 by placing the bottle over it. A small fan can beincorporated in the chamber to pump air therethrough and accelerate therate of vapor release.

Since the actuator assembly can be manually or electronicallycontrolled, many different ways can be used to control the device. Inthe electronic control approach, buttons or dials on the front of thedevice can be used to rotate the motor 110, open the orifice 116-1, andcontrol the fan at different speeds. If the device is powered by a cableconnected to a computer, such as the USB bus, the computer can be usedto control the motor 110 and the fan. Alternatively if themicrocontroller has a RF interface, such as a blue-tooth interface, forexample, many handheld devices or computers can be used through apps tocontrol the device. In addition, several of the delivery blocks can bestacked or placed near each other to be controlled by the devices. Inthe simplest embodiment, manual dials can be used to move the bottlewithin the chamber to apply the liquid and use diffusion. This approachwill eliminate the use of electronics for reduced cost and simplicity.

The device 100 described above can also be incorporated with otherfunctions to enable a multifunctional device. For example, a radio canbe incorporated with or within the vapor-delivery box 100 that wouldallow one to listen to music with integrated aroma creating functionthat might correspond to specific song types. As a specific example, amorning alarm to wake up an individual can be enhanced by coffee aromain the morning near the bedside.

The top of the device 115 may be modified to include a mobile device orcomputer charger. The top of the box can include a port onto which acell phone can be mounted on and be charged, and still providecontrolled aromas. Such a combined function may be very useful inpersonal office spaces where both functions of aroma control andcell-phone charging are required. These above examples are not meant tobe limiting. The addition of an electronic or manual aroma delivery withother electronic or mobile applications would add aroma as an additionalelement of environmental control on specific timely manner withoutmanual intervention.

Currently many products exist that measure quality of sleep at nighttime, usually by monitoring mechanical motion of the body using inertialsensors integrated within a body-mounted sensor unit. Using thearoma-therapy automatic delivery system, one can correlate the qualityof sleep with different kinds of aromas being emitted near the bed ofthe person sleeping. Once these correlations are known, we can use thesensor data from the sleeping quality and dynamically control thequality of sleep by injecting different aroma combinations. As we knowthat the nose gets used to specific smells over time, the availabilityof dynamically altering the aroma content would keep the aroma sensationactive.

Referring now to FIGS. 6-18, there are shown various views schematicrepresentations of a vapor dispensing apparatus 200 and its components,according to an alternative embodiment. The vapor dispensing apparatus200 efficiently dispenses vapor through diffusion. Turning first to FIG.6, there is shown a top view schematic representation of a bottle 202.The bottle 202 can be any container having an open end 204 with aconnecting feature 206. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 6, theconnecting feature 206 is exterior threads. In an alternativeembodiment, the connecting feature 206 is a friction fit taperedsurface. The bottle 202 is sized and configured to contain liquid orfragrant evaporative material therein. In an embodiment, the bottle 202comprises a volume of perfume therein.

Using the chamber 104 and housing 106 described above (in conjunctionwith FIGS. 1-5), the bottle 202 (replacing the applicator 102)containing the perfume is rotated and the open end 204 of the bottle 202is in contact with the internal contact surface 108 (FIG. 1) to releasethe perfume by gravity when upside down. However, this requires thebottle 202 to be open 204 (i.e., via open end 204) and will lead todiffusion out of the bottle 202 over time and could lead to unwanteddispersal if the entire apparatus 200, the enclosure (chamber 104 andhousing 106 in FIG. 1) and the bottle 202, are turned upside down.Therefore, it would be beneficial to have a vapor dispensing apparatus200 wherein the liquid is held within the bottle 202 with a seal thatcan be electronically actuated. Such a vapor dispensing apparatus 200(and its component parts) is shown in FIGS. 6-18 and described in detailbelow.

Turning now to FIGS. 7A and 7B, there are shown top view schematicrepresentations of a cap 208 for the vapor dispensing apparatus 200,according to an embodiment. The cap 208 is angled such that an innervolume 210 at a threaded end 214 is wider than an inner volume 212 at anopen cap end 216. The threaded end 214 is configured to mate with theconnecting feature 206 (e.g., exterior threads) on the bottle 202. Theopen cap end 216 comprises a thin spout orifice 216A for dispensingliquid. As shown in FIG. 7B, the cap 208 comprises a ball 218 therein tocontrol the liquid flow from the cap 208. In the depicted embodiment,the ball 218 is adjacent to the thin spout orifice 216A. The ball 218can be composed of any material that is resistant to degradation fromliquid within the bottle 202, including iron and steel, for example.

Use of the ball 218 within the cap 208 is shown in conjunction with thebottle 202 in FIG. 8B, while the cap 208 is shown without the ball 218in FIG. 8A. In FIG. 8A, the liquid in the bottle 202 can flow by itselfwithout gating and perfume can leak through vaporization even whenvertical. However, in FIG. 8B, the ball 218 prevents the liquid fromexiting the bottle 202. In order to utilize the ball 218 to controlliquid flow from the bottle 202, the ball 218 must be maintained inplace over or near the thin spout orifice 216A.

In FIG. 9, a spring 220 and a retaining plate 222 are used to maintainpositioning of the ball 218 over or near the thin spout orifice 216A.The spring 220 can be composed of plastic or any other like material. Asshown, the retaining plate 222 extends across the threaded end 214 ofthe cap 208. The spring 220 extends from the retaining plate 222 andpresses the ball 218 against the thin spout orifice 216A. Use of thespring 220 and retaining plate 222 within the cap 208 is shown in FIG.10. The open end 204 of the bottle 202 is adjacent or presses againstthe retaining plate 222, as shown. The connecting feature 206 (e.g.,exterior threads) of the bottle 202 can still mate with the threaded end214 of the cap 208.

Referring now to FIG. 11, there is shown a magnetic actuator 224extending around the bottle 202 and cap 208 of the vapor dispensingdevice 200, according to an embodiment. In the embodiment shown in FIG.11, the magnetic actuator 224 surrounds the bottle 202 and cap 208 in acircular fashion. In other words, the magnetic actuator 224 forms acircular perimeter around the bottle 202 and the cap 208. The magneticactuator 224 induces a time varying magnetic field. The magnetic fieldmoves the ball 218 up and down (away from and toward the thin spoutorifice 216A) to create pressure and liquid motion to leak out from thecap 208, as shown in FIG. 12.

Turning now to FIGS. 13 and 14, there are shown top views schematicrepresentations of a sponge holder 226 and a sponge 228 used inconjunction with the cap 208 to provide an additional method forcontrolling liquid flow from the bottle 202. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 13, the sponge holder 226 is a device secured to or over the opencap end 216. The sponge holder 226 can have a friction or screw fit ontothe open cap end 216. The sponge holder 226 contains a sponge 228therein. The sponge 228 maintains perfume within its volume, but it canrelease liquid on a surface when moved and pressed (i.e., when pressureis applied thereto). As shown in FIG. 14, the sponge 228 is adjacent orextends along an interior (inner) surface 230 of the magnetic actuator224.

An embodiment of the vapor dispensing apparatus 200 is shown in FIGS.15-18. In FIG. 15, a user places the cap 208 on the bottle 202 such thatthe liquid can be extracted controllably using an external magneticfield source (i.e., magnetic actuator 224). This will enable a low-costsolution as a reusable bottle 202 can be used. The reusable bottle 202consists of inexpensive components while the electronic control is inthe body of the cassette holder. In some cases, to increase the rate atwhich the perfume is vaporized, the lining of the inner surface 230 canbe heated to higher temperature. In this case, a heater from the packageholding the cassette (holding the bottle 202) can be used to transferheat through the cassette into the inner surface 230. The heat transferfrom the external resistive heater can be transferred to a metallic thinlayer on the inside of the inner surface 230 on which the liquid isrubbed (FIG. 15).

A bottle 202 can consist of a dispenser unit (DU) that contains amagnetic ball 218, which can be attracted using an external magneticfield. The ball 218 can be a small permanent magnet, perhaps coated withan inert material such as plastic such Teflon. The ball 218 can be alsobe made of iron-like material that can be attracted to an externalmagnetic field. Once an external magnetic field is applied, when thebottle 202 is upside down, the ball 218 will be displaced up and downdue to the magnetic force. If the ball 218 is a permanent magnet, theexternal field will cause both attraction and repulsion causing the ball218 to go up and down modulating the orifice opening 216A and liquid canleak out. If the ball 218 is made of a non-permanent magnet magneticmaterial (such as iron, nickel, or magnetic steel) each cycle ofmagnetic field actuation with attract the ball 218 towards the orifice.The pressing of the ball 218 towards the orifice and releasing can leadto excitation of a resonant mechanical motion such that liquid can bemoved out.

The DU will be such that the ball 218 and spring 220 prevent liquid toleak out until magnetically actuated. As shown in FIG. 16, an insert 232is placed with a tubular delivery pin in the center. The spring 220 isinserted so it hugs around the pin. The ball 218 is placed on a secondscrewed insert 234, or press fit insert, with the cavity for the ball218 such that the ball 218 is pressed against the spring 220. An outercap 236 is the cap that the user will remove before placing the bottle202 inside the vapor delivery apparatus 200. The external magnetic fieldsource 224 can be made of a coil that is driven by a current or can be apermanent magnet on a motor that rotates the magnet to change theexternal field. FIG. 17 shows how the magnet field can move the magnetand hence release the liquid around the ball 218.

In some cases, as mentioned above, it may be advantageous to place aspongy material 228 on the exit of the bottle orifice 216A as shown inFIG. 18. Instead of the droplet dropping on a specific site of the innersurface 230, it can first get inside a spongy material 228 that can thenbe place in contact with the inner surface 230. The surface area 230 ofthe applied perfume is increased to enable a higher rate of dispersal.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vapor dispensing apparatus, comprising: acontainer having an open end with a cap removably attached thereto, thecap having an orifice; wherein the container is configured to store anevaporable material therein; a ball within the cap and adjacent theorifice; a spring extending from a first end of the cap toward theorifice; wherein the spring maintains the ball adjacent to the orifice;a magnetic actuator extending at least partially around the container;and wherein the ball is movable relative to the orifice based onmagnetic force from the magnetic actuator.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1,further comprising a sponge attached to an open cap end of the cap. 3.The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a sponge retainer attachedonto the open cap end, the sponge retainer having the sponge therein. 4.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the evaporable material is fragrant.5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ball is composed of steel. 6.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ball is composed of iron.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the spring is composed of plastic.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising a connecting feature at theopen end of the container.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein theconnecting feature is exterior threads.